Holiday Valley Ups the Uphill Capacity at SnowPine Village

On Saturday, Jan. 7, the bubbly was flowing at Holiday Valley during a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of their new SnowPine Quad Chairlift.

The $650,000 chairlift is Holiday Valley’s 10th quad chairlift and was constructed over the summer by the resort’s mountain crew to replace the existing double chair. The lift is 2,100 feet in length and has a capacity of 1,600 skiers per hour, nearly double the capacity.

A completely new drive terminal was installed at the base and the towers, cross arms, and the return station were replaced to accommodate the larger gauge of a four passenger chair. Holiday Valley is one of only a few ski areas in the country to construct their own lifts. The advantage is that the mountain crew is familiar with every aspect of the lift and can maintain the lift properly and make repairs efficiently.

The new Sky High Mountain Coaster opened in August 2011. Photo Courtesy of Holiday Valley.

The new lift enhances the ski-in, ski-out access to the SnowPine Village condominiums. It services expert, intermediate and beginner terrain, which was updated with additional snowmaking capabilities for the 2011-12 season. These improvements were part of a $5.3 million investment over the summer, which also included construction of the Sky High Mountain Coaster and two new grooming machines.

Located just 50 miles south of Buffalo, Holiday Valley offers 58 slopes and 13 lifts spread over four distinct faces. Summertime activities include an 18-hole golf course, an aerial adventure park, mountain biking, hiking and a three-pool complex.